WedNEWSday – We’ve Got Your Week All Planned For You

With a flurry of award-ing going on in Louisville recently, we get to puff our own chest out for Steve Coomes, who was recognized twice at the Society of Professional Journalist awards last week. A judge wrote that Steve’s first-place restaurant pieces (for Insider Louisville) were “thoughtful, fun, smart reviews that really express the flavor of the local food scene.”

Got that right. It’s Steve’s second SPJ first-place award for restaurant writing. Plus, he got a 2nd place for Editorial Writing. Many years ago, I won several of these for my work at Business First and LEO, so there. Next year, watch out for EatDrinkTalk to take home some trophies.

More Prizes: While we’re at it, congratulations to Adrienne Holland, the owner of Adrienne & Co., for her selection as the Most Admired Woman in Food/Entertainment from Today’s Woman magazine. You need a cake, she can make it.

The Best? We had some fun a few weeks back on the EDT podcast making snarky comments about the popularity contest known as the Best of Louisville awards. The list of winners is now out, and some of our faves came out on top — like River House, Jack Fry’s, August Moon, Joella’s, Brasserie Provance and Volare. Plus it was great to see that the coolest international shrine to brew – Sergio’s World of Beers, receive the coveted “Best Beer-on-Tap” prize. The party for the winners is Thursday at 6 at the Kentucky Center for the Arts.

My snark comment on the Media Awards: Louisville Mag chose not to create, despite my suggestion a year ago, a new category for podcasts. But now that they’re finally doing their own podcast, maybe it’ll happen next year.

For NFocus, the End is Near: NFocus magazine, which featured coverage of plenty of local charity and celebrity parties, announced last week that its July issue will be its last. With the idea of going out with a bang, the Nashville-based publication is throwing a farewell party that was first promoted as an issue launch party. It’s at Volare.

Cocktail Thursday: Check out the new cocktail menu at La Chasse Thursday night. The Summer Craft Cocktail Menu Launch Party features specialty cocktails for $7, including a Mango Mojito and Grandma’s Smash. There are 30 to choose from.

Independence SunDAY and Apron: What better way to spend a Sunday Afternoon than with samples from 30 of Louisville’s top chefs. The Taste of Independents benefits Apron, the wonderful charity that helps industry workers. It features music, adult beverages and a silent auction at the Olmsted. Hear more about it on this week’s podcast in Steve’s interview with Gary Fox.

Foretelling – Forecastle, Beer: We all know that the Forecastle Festival is here next week, with its famed music lineup, but it’s also one excuse for Harvest to host its Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner, with four food and brew pairings. Leeanne Porter (perfect name) of Sierra Nevada will be speaking at the July 11 event. Listen for more on Forecastle from Liquor Barn’s Brad Williams on this week’s podcast, online Friday.

Anthony Lamas at Seviche

Stories Worth Checking Out: In the C-J, Seviche’s Anthony Lamas is featured as the man behind many of the area’s top chefs, many of whom attended an alumni dinner recently. Lamas credits his decision to quit drinking two years ago for increased clarity. . .The Lane Report just published a pretty comprehensive round-up of the city’s food and restaurant scene, acknowledging Louisville’s growing national reputation, and pointing out that 15,000 people here work in the industry. . . If Edward Lee is into it, it must be something, right? WFPL investigated the phenomenon of Appalachian food as a booming business in coal country…Finally, our story yesterday on the seven, no, eight new restaurants opening soon got plenty of attention on the site. Check it out here.